machai-umno

It has been quite some time since my last update... So, where have I been and what am I working on? Among other projects, I have been working on the molds. So far all the body components are complete and I'm starting on the molds for the legs and arms. Molds are like the foundation of a house, you need to get it right or the house will not come together right. All my molds are two part, requiring two pours and a lot of pre-prep clay work to get the parting lines of the two mold halves set correctly. Until this week I only had one adjustable mold box, I now have two so things should move a little faster.. fingers crossed. To be honest I hate this part of the process but it has to be done, so back to work I go ;)

Not too long ago, there was a coordinated blog effort with developers like Jonathan Blow , 2D Boy and more commenting on the length of games. The general consensus of these posts was that games should not be judged by their length, but if the experience feels complete or not. Something that we here at Frictional Games agree on. Now that we have released Amnesia: The Dark Descent , game length has once again come into our lives. There have been several reviews of the game that have stated that the game's length, 6 - 10 hours, was a major negative. Especially considering that the game does not have any replayability (although that is up for discussion). This has made us a bit concerned. A major goal with our games is to have no fillers, to have a game where everything is focused on creating a certain experience. Since we do not have combat in our games, there is no way to extend length in a simple way (like filling a room with enemies). Just about every minute in our games requires...

It has now been a week since we released Amnesia: The Dark Descent and I would like to go through some areas of interest. There is a a lot to say really, but I will try and be brief and only concentrate on the most important things. Making the game available This was the first time that we have had a game that would be simultaneously released for six different stores on the same day, so we were a bit nervous on how that would go. To make sure that all stores had enough time we sent out the game more than a week before release. This seems to have worked and all the stores had the game available in time for release. Added to this, we also had a system for pre-order customers to get their download link, serial key and Steam key. Jens have tried this over a month before release and it was very well tested once released. The only problem was some mix up with keys and people loosing their mail, otherwise all went well. In summary, we are quite happy how the availability of the game turned o...

Just wanted to notify all that the editor tools for Amnesia: The Dark Descent are out. These are the same tools that we used the create the game, so at a minimum you will able to do all that is done in the game. All info is being collected here: http://hpl2.frictionalgames.com/ I suggest you start by first downloading the tools here, then follow the guide here and finally start checking some tutorials . If you have any questions about the editors, please use our modding forum found here: http://frictionalgames.com/forum/forum-35.html Happy editing! :) NOTE: Only windows version released so far. Other platforms coming shortly!

We just finished our "launch" trailer for Amnesia The Dark Descent . Watch here: Now for a quick making of the trailer: First of I started out making a text synopsis over the clips needed for the trailer. I had an idea of starting the video with a lynchian stare, that should set the mood for the rest of the trailer. My design process was then for me to lock myself inside a dark room, lie on the floor and mumble stuff while gesticulating in the air. I then showed the synopsis to Jens and when he had approved after some smaller changes, I set Marcus and Luis to work with recording. I gave them descriptions on how I wanted the clips to be, they then recorded something, sent sample and I mostly told em tons of stuff to improve. It took a day and something like 5 - 50 retakes for each shot (one ended up not being used) to complete. We now had the clips! One clip was missing though: Some fancy logo animation! This we could not do ourselves so I started looking for a company to do ...

Introduction When you are playing a videogame, an external observer will probably say that you are sitting in a sofa or at the computer desk. But is this really where you are? When immersed in the virtual world of a videogame, do you still feel that you are sitting on a chair or in a sofa, staring at the screen? An experiment Before moving on, I would like you to consider a simple experiment. You can easily do it with the help of a friend if you got the right prop: a rubber hand. Put your own hand next to the rubber one on a table, and place a screen between them, shielding your own hand from view. Now ask your friend to stroke the fake and real hand at the same time, at the same place. Something strange will now happen. Your body image will change, and the rubber hand will become part of you. As your friend touch both hands, you will feel as if the feeling arise in the rubber one. All of a sudden, you will have made an external object, become part of your self! With this experiment in...

Not too long ago, I actually wondered if there ever would be a release. However, today I am proud to say that Amnesia: The Dark Descent is finally released ! If that is all you need to know, go and get the game at one of the following places: Our own store (windows, linux & mac) Steam (windows & mac) GamersGate (windows & mac) Direct2Drive (windows) ImpulseDriven (windows) The game has been in the making for exactly 3 years now (first document is dated 8th sept 07) and it has been quite the journey. The design has been changed countless times and we have been very close running out of money a few times. Somehow, due to successful sales and salary cut we have managed to get through it though. This makes it extra rewarding to have the game finally out. Even more rewarding is the extremely nice press response! Some example: “Few games are able to conjure up an atmosphere this genuinely frightening.” - IGN “Despite its title, Amnesia remembers what the blockbusters of survi...